Purpose : To investigate and compare the causes of blindness in ocular Behçet’s disease (BD) in men and women

Methods : In a retrospective, descriptive investigation from 1976 to 2008, 6,021 BD cases were registered in our BD Unit of Shariati Hospital of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). At the last visit, 187 patients (124 men and 63 women) were blind (vision=1/10 or less) at least in one eye and with at least 3 years of follow-up in our clinic. All patients received conventional treatments for BD following the diagnosis.

Results : 187 unilateral or bilateral blind cases of BD, 124 males (244 eyes) and 63 females (124 eyes) were included in our study. They were blind (VA=1/10 or less) at the last visit. The mean age of men was 31.74±8.6 years, the mean age of women was 33.13±10.26 years at presentation, t=0.97, P=0.3. At presentation 229 eyes (62.23%) had severely impaired vision (VA≤1/10), 144 eyes (59.02%) of men and 85 eyes (68.55%) of women, χ2=0.403, P=0.5. The mean duration of diagnosis up to 2008 was 13.85±6.42 years in men and 15.65±6.41 years in women, t=1.8, P=0.05. The end-blinding outcome was registered in 77.99% (N=287) eyes, 78.28% (N=191) eyes in men and 77.42% (N=96) eyes in women. χ2=0.05, P=0.8. The most common cause for blindness was end-stage disease (retinal vascular necrosis or fibrosis, chorioretinal and optic atrophy) which was observed in 39.67% (N=146) eyes, 40.98% (N=100) eyes of men and 37.09% (N=46) eyes of women, χ2-0.163, P=0.7.

Conclusion : BD can have a very severe and blinding outcome, but the end blinding result does not seem to be different in two genders.